Water draining back into pool when pump is off

[harvey.simon66]

my problem is when my pump goes off all the water in the return lines drain back into the pool. My pump setup is as follow: Hayward Pump and DE filter, then into check valve to Auto Jandy valve to divert water to the Solar Heater then back to system through a check valve, then into a salt water chlorinator and then thru a jandy valve. one way goes to pool water fall/airator the other goes to retrurn jets. If I turn Jandy valve to send water back to the pool via the water feature the system will hold water. If it is set to send water back via the 3 jets in the pool the water will drain back into the pool and drain back to the check valves leaving my chlorinator dry.

I am at a complete loss as to where my trouble may be. HELP !!!!

Harvey

[floridapooltech]

my problem is when my pump goes off all the water in the return lines drain back into the pool. My pump setup is as follow: Hayward Pump and DE filter, then into check valve to Auto Jandy valve to divert water to the Solar Heater then back to system through a check valve, then into a salt water chlorinator and then thru a jandy valve. one way goes to pool water fall/airator the other goes to retrurn jets. If I turn Jandy valve to send water back to the pool via the water feature the system will hold water. If it is set to send water back via the 3 jets in the pool the water will drain back into the pool and drain back to the check valves leaving my chlorinator dry.

I am at a complete loss as to where my trouble may be. HELP !!!!

Harvey

Harvey,

This issue sounds like the check valve has failed. You may need to replace the valve with a new one.

[ChuckGeo]

You say that "when the pump goes off all the water in the return lines drain back into the pool." I'm assuming that this causes the pump to drain and loose it's prime. The prime can be lost when there is air in the filter when the pump is turned off, an air leak in the suction side of the pump (which would lead to air in the filter) or a water leak in the return (pressure) side of the plumbing. Air in the filter can cause loss of prime the instant the pump is turned off, there is usually an audible rush of water through the pump the instant the pump is turned off. This is symptomatic of a suction leak. A suction leak can occur anywhere in the plumbing from the strainer pot to the pool and is usually diagnosed as air in the strainer pot. Often, air leaks show themselves as drips of water that appear on the suction plumbing when the pump is turned off. Correct any that occur. On the pressure side, look for water appearing anywhere on the filter pad plumbing or equipment from the back of the strainer pot through the filter and heater and the return plumbing back to the pool. For a little help locating these leaks, turn the pump off and listen for the noise of the air entering the pipe through the leak - it'll be a "sizzling" noise.
Basically, you want to stop any leaks, water & air, that you find at the filter pad.
Regarding your specific problem, it sounds as if there may be a leak in the return line to the three jets in the pool, between the return Jandy valve and the pool. The leak would have to be above the water level of the pool to draw air when the pump is off. With the Jandy valve set to operate the water feature, an air leak in the pool return line between the valve and the pool would be isolated from the system and not allow air in the system. A leak in a return line may cause you to loose water from the pool when that line is in operation, however, if it is a small leak you may not see any water loss but it can allow air in the system when the pump is off if it is above the water level of the pool.
Just a few thoughts, hope they help. Let me know what you find.

[clickme1st]

H arvey, you should have a valve
on your roof to let air back in when
your pump turns off so that your solar
heating drains the water out and does
not boil and melt the plumbing

[ChuckGeo]

If it is a problem in the solar system, a bad in line check valve for instance, I'd expect the draining would be the same on either return leg. Let me back up for a second, is the pump loosing it's prime or is it just the chlorinator that is draining?

[achaza]

My problem is when I dissconnect the unusual hose (explained later) and the pump goes off all the water in the return lines drain back into the pool. The filter pump never is prime. There is air on the filter. If I release the air before turn off the water doesn't drain back.
If I change the 3 way valve to only get water from main drain the filter pump is prime and there is not air on the filter and works ok. If I change the valve to get water from skimmers the problem appears. Skimmers water level is ok. I have checked and repair valve before the filter pump and check valve on the return line.

I tried to set up that filter pump get the water from main drain and skimmers. The problem is the spa begins to get empty.

The pool builder did a unusual connection. On the top of the filter where the gauge pressure must be installed there is a T connector (one for the gauge pressure and the other one for a hose which connect with the pipe that comes from the heater outlet. That helps not drain back the water into the pool because the air inside the filter is constantly releasing thru that hose. The filter pump never is prime.

It seems there is a problem on the pipe that comes from the skimmers.

Even though I have a alternate solution I wonder what is causing the problem. It seems there is a pipe broken. I think is the pipe that comes from the skimmers.

Can you help me with your diagnostic?

Thank you

Alex

[ChuckGeo]

If you're getting air in the pump when the skimmers are on and no air when the main drain is on, it sounds like a leak in the skimmer line. You should contact a leak professional in your area to pressure test the skimmer line to confirm a leak. I'm guessing this has been going on for a while as it sounds like someone tried to solve the problem by installing an external air bleed on the filter. This only addresses the symptom, not the problem.